Pictures: Greta Goose Nesting
Below is a series of pictures as mama Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) re-arranges the nest and rotates her eggs. She revealed 5 eggs as she did a quick re-arrangement of her nest. Female Canada Geese lay one egg every one to two days and there may be anywhere from 1 to 8 eggs. She incubates the eggs for about 28 days and does not leave the nest, eat, drink, or bathe while the eggs are incubating. Goslings hatch using their "egg tooth" to crack open the shell. Mom protects them and keeps them warm in the nest for about a day. Unlike some baby birds, goslings are capable of walking, swimming, and finding their own food as many hikers have likely witnessed.
What? There are eggs under me?
Okay ... I see 1, 2, 3?
By golly! I see 4 now.
Yep, 4 ... better move them around a bit.
I can't believe it. There's a 5th one.
Gordon, where are you? We have 5!
Yes, definitely five!
(This picture taken in
the afternoon, hence shadow.)
Okay, back under you go.
I hope we don't need
any of those non-medical masks we keep seeing.
Stay warm dear Goslings.
It's going to be
another one of those cold 2020 April nights!
A few days later Greta had 4 goslings from her 5
eggs.
Two goslings are visible in the picture below.
Three goslings visible below. A forth survived.
The 5th egg hatched but the gosling inside did not survive.
VIDEO >>>> Canada Goose Laying an Egg
Links to more pictures:
Snowstools | A "Pileated" White Pine | Red Trillium Variant at Huron Natural Area | Snowshoe at rare Charitable Research Reserve 2014 | A Story of Two Amulrees & The Highland Clearances | The Swamp Crew | Tynemouth Hooligans | "Wild Turkeys" | Hackberry | Turk's-cap Lily | Snowshoeing at Petersburg Tract 2015 | Niagara Glen | Massasauga rattlesnake | We Hiked the Bruce Trail In Small Doses | Frogs Croaking at Huron Natural Area | Female flower of Black Pine | Canada Goose Nesting | Red-Tailed Hawks | Snapping Turtle | Thistles & Tongue Twister ... more to follow .